The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan - Nina loses her job as a librarian and decides to take a chance. She buys a van and turns it into a bookmobile, instead of lending books she sells them. And she does it all in a small town in Scotland, way out of her comfort zone. This is basically a Harlequin romance book with better writing. I could predict every turn. It was a nice light read.
3 stars
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Racing the Devil by Charles Todd - seven officers meet by accident right before the Battle of the Somme. They agree that if they survive they will meet in Paris and race to Nice a year after the war is over. In 1920, the Rector of a small village is found dead in a motorcar accident. A motorcar that he borrowed from one of the seven officers. Inspector Ian Rutledge suspects it was not an accident and may be a case of mistaken identity. Lots of twists and turns, more murders, and a surprise (to me) culprit. I really enjoy this series.
4 stars
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Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton - Hamish Wolfe is a charismatic serial killer locked in prison. He has many followers claiming his innocence. Maggie Rose, a lawyer and best selling author may be his ticket out if he can persuade her to take his case. This one had lots of turns and twists and just when I would think I knew what was going on I didn't. A good surprise ending.
4 stars
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
March 12 - 18, 2017
The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney - desperate to find a new flat after a break in, Emma and her boyfriend apply to live in a house with very restrictive rules - no personal pictures, no books laying around, no possessions showing. A year later, Jane is applying for the same house despite the fact there has been a death there. Told in alternating chapters, then and now, this is a very fast read. And I started out really enjoying it. But by the end I pretty much hated everyone. I'm not sure if that was the author's intent. A couple of graphic sex scenes.
2 stars
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All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda - 10 years ago Nic walked away from her home town when her best friend disappeared. Now she's back to help her brother deal with their ailing father. Another girl disappears and the same cycle of suspicion begins. Told backwards, this was a little hard to wrap my head around. But you would know everything too soon if it was told in the conventional way. Once again, I found it hard to connect with the characters.
3.5 stars
2 stars
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All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda - 10 years ago Nic walked away from her home town when her best friend disappeared. Now she's back to help her brother deal with their ailing father. Another girl disappears and the same cycle of suspicion begins. Told backwards, this was a little hard to wrap my head around. But you would know everything too soon if it was told in the conventional way. Once again, I found it hard to connect with the characters.
3.5 stars
Sunday, March 12, 2017
March 5 - 11, 2017
Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman - the 32nd(!) Alex Delaware book. This time, instead of his usual pediatric cases, psychologist Alex is called by a nearly 100 year old woman living in a hotel. When she is found dead the day after their meeting natural causes are assumed. It proves to be murder and Alex and his friend, detective Milo Sturgis, search for who did it and why. Not the most exciting of plots but I really enjoy watching the two friends follow leads and gather clues.
3 stars
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Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away by Lisa Napoli - a fascinating read about Ray Kroc and his wife who both came from poor beginnings to have an unimaginable fortune. Told pretty briskly, with only a few unnecessary (to me) tangents. And she really did give it all away.
4.5 stars
3 stars
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Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away by Lisa Napoli - a fascinating read about Ray Kroc and his wife who both came from poor beginnings to have an unimaginable fortune. Told pretty briskly, with only a few unnecessary (to me) tangents. And she really did give it all away.
4.5 stars
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Feb 26 - Mar 4, 2017
The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz - the second in the Orphan X series. Evan Smoak, trained as an elite assassin, now helps people with nowhere else to turn. But when he's kidnapped by a mysterious group he's the one who needs help. Much of the book is spent with Evan trying ways to escape. I was ready for him to get away and wreak havoc halfway through. A surprising plot twist leads to the next book. Quite a bit of violence.
3 stars
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Night School by Lee Child - in the 21st Jack Reacher novel, the author takes us back to 1996, when Reacher was still an MP. He's just received a medal and then is immediately sent to night school. In other words, buried for deniable plausibility if needed. An overheard conversation has several agencies looking for "the American" who is going to receive a hundred million dollars - for what no one knows. A couple of sex scenes more detailed than previous books (yuck). The usual Reacher level of violence.
4 stars
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A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong - Rockton is a hidden city, a place where people escape their past. But people aren't always who they say they are. In the second Casey Duncan book she and another deputy find a woman who has been held captive in a hole for over a year. She's a resident of Rockton that everyone presumed had died in the wilderness. It looks like there's a serial killer in Rockton when two bodies are found. Or is it one of the people living rough in the woods? I figured this one out too early, which took away some of the suspense. And it was dark. Not as good as the first in the series IMO.
3 stars
3 stars
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Night School by Lee Child - in the 21st Jack Reacher novel, the author takes us back to 1996, when Reacher was still an MP. He's just received a medal and then is immediately sent to night school. In other words, buried for deniable plausibility if needed. An overheard conversation has several agencies looking for "the American" who is going to receive a hundred million dollars - for what no one knows. A couple of sex scenes more detailed than previous books (yuck). The usual Reacher level of violence.
4 stars
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A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong - Rockton is a hidden city, a place where people escape their past. But people aren't always who they say they are. In the second Casey Duncan book she and another deputy find a woman who has been held captive in a hole for over a year. She's a resident of Rockton that everyone presumed had died in the wilderness. It looks like there's a serial killer in Rockton when two bodies are found. Or is it one of the people living rough in the woods? I figured this one out too early, which took away some of the suspense. And it was dark. Not as good as the first in the series IMO.
3 stars
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Feb 19 - 25, 2017
Ember Falls by S.D. Smith - the 2nd in the Green Ember series finds the rabbit resistance against Morbin Blackhawk in trouble. Pickett and Heather, the two rabbits from the first book are settling into their positions, with Pickett leading an elite fighting squad and Heather a healer. Treachery within their own family and from others seems to threaten the rabbits very existence. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next installment.
4 stars
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Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman - a Jesse Stone mystery authorized by the estate of Mr. Parker. Jesse's ex is getting married and a psycho is threatening to kill her. I don't feel this author got the character of Jesse quite right, he seemed a little whiny to me. Just internally of course, he's still macho on the outside. In fact, most of the characters seemed a little off.
2 stars
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The Old Man by Thomas Perry - Dan Chase seems like a bland retiree until the night someone sneaks into his house and tries to kill him. Then he seems a very capable fellow indeed. He's been waiting for this moment for 30 years. The book started with a bang but bogged down in the middle portion. I had a hard time liking Dan but was interested to see what would happen to him. I liked his dogs, Dave and Carol, the best.
3.5 stars
4 stars
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Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman - a Jesse Stone mystery authorized by the estate of Mr. Parker. Jesse's ex is getting married and a psycho is threatening to kill her. I don't feel this author got the character of Jesse quite right, he seemed a little whiny to me. Just internally of course, he's still macho on the outside. In fact, most of the characters seemed a little off.
2 stars
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The Old Man by Thomas Perry - Dan Chase seems like a bland retiree until the night someone sneaks into his house and tries to kill him. Then he seems a very capable fellow indeed. He's been waiting for this moment for 30 years. The book started with a bang but bogged down in the middle portion. I had a hard time liking Dan but was interested to see what would happen to him. I liked his dogs, Dave and Carol, the best.
3.5 stars
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Feb 12 - 18, 2017
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - a retelling of the Norse tales starting with the creation of the gods and ending with Ragnarok. I'm giving this a lower rating not because of the writing, which was good, but because I discovered I don't like Norse mythology.
2 stars
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Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin - in the 21st John Rebus novel, Rebus is retired and is having health issues despite giving up smoking and drinking. He begins thinking of an unsolved case from 40 years ago when a beautiful woman was murdered in an upscale hotel where a rock star was also staying. In the present, a rising gangster has been found beaten in his driveway. Do these cases actually have something in common?
3 stars
2 stars
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Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin - in the 21st John Rebus novel, Rebus is retired and is having health issues despite giving up smoking and drinking. He begins thinking of an unsolved case from 40 years ago when a beautiful woman was murdered in an upscale hotel where a rock star was also staying. In the present, a rising gangster has been found beaten in his driveway. Do these cases actually have something in common?
3 stars
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Feb 5 - 11, 2017
The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser - Amy Lennox and her mother abruptly leave Germany and return to an island off Scotland where the grandmother she's never seen lives. Amy abruptly learns she has the ability to enter books and interact with the characters. Amy abruptly learns who her father is. Lots of things happen to Amy abruptly and while it keeps the drama going there's not much room for anything else. Someone is stealing plot ideas from books and it's up to Amy to stop them. I didn't like this as much as I anticipated. This is a YA book.
2 stars
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The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King - the 2nd in the Dark Tower series. The gunslinger is still trying to get to the tower and on his way he comes across three doors which take him to the New York City of our world. In each world he meets a person who may help him on his quest. Even though there is lots of endless walking I found this very compelling. I'm anxious to know what happens next. Lots of violence and language and some humor too.
4 stars
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Where it Hurts by Reed Farrell Coleman - Gus Murphy had a good life as a Suffolk County cop until his son died unexpectedly. Now he spends drives a hotel courtesy van and drifts in a cloud of grief. When a criminal from his past asks him to look into the murder of his son Gus finds himself interested in spite of himself. But his old friends from the force keep warning him off, which makes him even more interested. Lots of shooting in this one and a fairly typical plot. But the character of Gus is interesting. The beginning of a new series.
3 stars
2 stars
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The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King - the 2nd in the Dark Tower series. The gunslinger is still trying to get to the tower and on his way he comes across three doors which take him to the New York City of our world. In each world he meets a person who may help him on his quest. Even though there is lots of endless walking I found this very compelling. I'm anxious to know what happens next. Lots of violence and language and some humor too.
4 stars
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Where it Hurts by Reed Farrell Coleman - Gus Murphy had a good life as a Suffolk County cop until his son died unexpectedly. Now he spends drives a hotel courtesy van and drifts in a cloud of grief. When a criminal from his past asks him to look into the murder of his son Gus finds himself interested in spite of himself. But his old friends from the force keep warning him off, which makes him even more interested. Lots of shooting in this one and a fairly typical plot. But the character of Gus is interesting. The beginning of a new series.
3 stars
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